Ino Yamanaka: A Kunoichi of Team 7
by InoFan07
Summary: Team 7 never got a happy ending. Ino travels back in time and winds up on Team 7. Already knowing the future, but keeping that a secret, she tries to protect Naruto and Sasuke; all while struggling with her own identity and discovering secrets about her clan. A tale of love, loss and friendship. Stand back Sakura: It's Ino's time to shine. A must read story for Ino/SasuIno Fans.
1. Chapter 1

This is an idea that's been rolling around in my head. It should basically be called, _Naruto: what should have happened, _because Ino is my favorite character and I think she would have made a better heroine. This is not trying to bash either Sakura or Ino, because they are both great characters. But I just think that Kishi could have done a better job developing the heroine in the beginning, and Ino is my favorite character. Anyway, please read and enjoy.

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**This is the Tale of Ino Yamanaka.**

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Ino stared into the distance, squinting with concentration. Rain poured over her, soaking her clothing. She panted and desperately tried to catch her breath. She ran as swiftly as she could, however; her chakra was running out and she was reaching her breaking point.

_Just a little further._

Up ahead, her eyes adjusted as she saw an empty clearing, isolated from the rest of the war.

As she ran in, she braced herself.

"Naruto! Just hang in there! Please, just…just a little longer…" Sakura was bent over Naruto, who was lying on the ground. He was a battered mess, covered in painful scars and gashes. Green chakra flowed smoothly out of Sakura's hands as her eyes narrowed in concentration. She tried to remain professional, but Ino could tell she was really freaking out. Ino rushed over and joined her. Both medics poured all their chakra and willpower into Naruto's chest, closing his wounds and fixing the internal organ damage. Ino concentrated with all her energy, but something felt…wrong.

It wasn't working.

"Come on!" Sakura gritted her teeth desperately. "Come on, come on!" Her hands trembled as realization hit her.

Naruto's eyes opened for a split second, and he gave her a sincere smile. "Sakura chan." He coughed violently, unable to finish. Sakura gently laid a hand on his face and stared into his eyes. "Naruto." She begged. "Please, don't leave me. I need you."

Her eyes were hallowed and confused, like her soul was also leaving her body. Her shoulders sagged and she started trembling as she finally realized there was nothing she could do.

Ino's mind kicked into overdrive. Naruto was really dying. The thought of death was not something shinobi became immune to. Especially if the death was of a comrade. Her heart ached as she watched Sakura and Naruto exchange final words. Sakura's tears started falling. "I couldn't save you. It's all my fault. I couldn't show you how much…how much you mean to me…" Sakura sniffled, tears streaming down her face.

Ino watched, heartbroken. She couldn't imagine the position Sakura was put in.

Despite of himself, Naruto chuckled. He stroked her bangs gently. "I don't blame you. Just please, promise to...be strong...for both of us...okay?"

Sakura nodded painfully as she wept. "Naruto...I love you. I'm sorry I didn't realize it before."

Naruto flashed her a grin. "Thank you, Sakura. Thank you...for believing in me...for being there for me. I love you too."

"You died a hero." Sakura whispered to him. He closed his eyes.

Sakura's eyes widened. "No! Please! Wait!" She desperately tried to heal him again, but it was hopeless.

The air suddenly got colder around them.

As Sakura sobbed, all Ino could do was comfort her.

"It's no use. He's dead."

Ino turned around.

Her blue eyes swept over dark, cold ones. A figure consumed by the darkness stood in front of them. Then all she saw was red. Cruel, red eyes of murder and hatred. Eyes that wouldn't shed a tear over their ex best friend's death.

The Sharingan? But that meant-

"Sasuke?" Ino asked. "You killed him!?"

He showed no remorse. "It had to be done. The Nine Tails was extracted from him. There was never any hope for him."

"How could you?" Sakura's lower lip trembled. "He did everything he could to save you. Even when you became a criminal, he stood up for you. He cared about you. How could you kill him?" She burst into tears. "You're a monster! You're-"

Sasuke was behind her in less than a second.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Sakura. You're still…annoying." He pulled out his sword.

"I can't believe I ever loved you." She whispered.

He stabbed her with the sword and she froze, her eyes bugged out. Silently, she fell to the ground.

"Sakura!" Ino shouted helplessly. No. This couldn't be happening. She didn't have any chakra. There were no reinforcements coming. There was nothing she could do.

She wiped away her tears and gently picked Sakura up and laid her next to Naruto. Hopefully, maybe someday, somewhere, they could finally be together.

Her childhood best friend and her lover were both gone. They were really dead.

_"Hey, Ino! Guess what? i finally found a way to make Sakura like me!"_

The funny part was, in the end, she really did love him. It deeply saddened her that his other dream of becoming Hokage would never come true.

_"I won't be in your shadow any more, Ino. It's time I became my own person .I'm going to prove to you that I can beat you, in ninjutsu and love! It's my turn to shine!_

Sakura. She really did blossom into a beautiful flower. She turned to Sasuke and stared at him sadly.

He looked at her, uninterested. he didn't look guilty at all, considering the fact that the murder of his two best friends were on account of him. He turned and started walking away.

"Sakura was right. Naruto did everything to save you. Save you from the darkness." She told him. "And you killed him. _You killed your best friend."_

He stopped walking.

"Sakura loved you. She and Naruto both did. And you killed them without batting an eye. You really _are _a monster."

He turned around.

She froze. Who was this man? She didn't recognize him. There was no way this was Sasuke Uchiha. This wasn't the boy she dreamed would acknowledge her. This wasn't him. It couldn't be. This person was...colder...and darker...and evil.

He looked at her with the intent of killing her.

The bloodthirsty look in his eyes hypnotized her and froze her in place. Horrified, she realized this was his Sharingan in action.

He gathered up his chakra and ran to her with his chidori.

_Sasuke. _

He stabbed her, and but she didn't feel any pain. Instead, a bright, white light consumed her.

_Where did it all go wrong?_

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Thoughts consumed her mind. Deaths, war, and sicknesses wiping people out. A world with nothing but darkness. She struggled in a nightmare, trying to escape. Was this a trick of the Sharingan? Or-

"Ino! Sweetheart, wake up. you're going to be late!"

She jumped, her heart racing. Her mouth was completely dry and her entire body was sweating. She was in...bed?

He eyes were open, but she couldn't see a thing.

Sunlight poured out from a nearby window and she could feel it on her face. Birds were chirping outside.

"Who healed me? Where are Naruto and Sakura, are they really dead? Where's Sasuke?"

"Oh honey, are you alright? I think you had a bad dream." A voice said soothingly.

She rubbed her eyes and they came into focus. Staring back at her was her mom.

She looked around. She was _in her room!_

She started trembling. "What's happening? Where am I?"

Her mom looked at her, slightly confused. "In your room, of course. Come on, your dad is waiting downstairs. It's almost time for breakfast. Besides, you don't want to be late on your first day."

She got up and left the room.

Dad was alive? Why was she in her room, and her parents downstairs eating cereal? They were in the middle of a war! Wh-

Ino gasped. She stared at herself in the mirror, completely horrified. She was…she was...she was twelve.

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Okay, i apologize because I suck at writing sad/serious/fighting scenes, and basically the only thing I am good at is humor/romance. The end part was supposed to be serious, not funny...but hope you like it! Please no bashing of the character, but I would appreciate if you took the time to leave a review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Hope you guys like it! Please review!

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What was going on? This was crazy. _This was impossible._

Her reflection stared back at her, looking freaked out. She had long hair that was tied back with a ponytail, and bangs. She was wearing the same purple outfit and white leggings she wore as a genin. Her face looked childlike and innocent, without a whip of makeup.

She swallowed. What was this? A dream? She pinched herself. Wow, okay, not a dream. That pain was real.

A genjutsu? Yeah, that had to be it. Sasuke had trapped her in a genjutsu. She calmed herself down, and confidently formed a hand seal, focusing her chakra.

_Release._

She expected to find herself on the cold, harsh, battlefield. She started to panic. She was still her in her room, with purple walls and purple, silk, curtains.

_Okay, okay, calm down Ino. _

If Sasuke created this illusion with his sharingan, it would need more than a simple genjutsu release in order to break.

Unfortunately, her 12-year old self knew only the basics, so all she could do was play along, put on an act, and hope the illusion would break when he got tired and ran out of chakra.

Or simply got bored. That jerk; he was probably watching her right now and laughing.

With a heavy heart, she headed downstairs.

Her mother and father were waiting for her with hearty grins.

"Morning." She grumbled, sitting down. This was the weirdest experience ever. Her father was supposed to be dead.

Her mom and dad chatted as they ate breakfast, about how this was going to be a great experience for her.

"Now listen." Ino's mom said seriously. "Being a ninja is not a joke. You have to be responsible about it." Then she hugged her tightly. "Just don't put yourself in danger, alright?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "I won't, mom."

When she pulled away, her dad put a hand on her shoulder. "You were the top of your class. You're going to make the Yamanaka clan proud. I believe in you."

Ino' s eyes got misty. "Yeah. Thanks, dad."

It was time to go. And Ino was glad, her parents were suffocating her.

When she was at the door, her mom nervously lectured her. "Don't talk to strangers. Don't be mean to your teammates. Listen to your sensei." She hugged her goodbye.

"We love you." Her dad told her.

Ino forced a smile and waved. "I'll be fine. And thanks. I love you too."

She walked to the academy. The fact that she had once been so worried about going to the Academy and becoming a real ninja seemed laughable now.

In front of her, she saw a flash of pink.

"Sakura!" Ino called. "Wait up!"

Sakura gave her a look of disgust. "Ino pig."

Ino frowned. She had temporarily forgotten. This wasn't real. This was all a sick, twisted, illusion.

But maybe Sakura would believe her if she told her the truth. When she tried to tell her parents this was all an illusion, they had simply dismissed it, thinking she was rambling because she was nervous.

"Sakura! This is all fake. You hear me? This is an illusion." Ino put her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "Look, I know we've had our problems in the past, but you have to believe me. Sasuke killed you and Naruto and put me in this illusion so I couldn't tell anyone. The only way your soul can go to heaven is if we break this genjutsu."

Green eyes stared back at her in shock. "Ino." She mumbled. Her eyes looked dazed. "I- remember."

Ino's heard jumped with joy. "You do?"

Sakura barked out a laugh. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you. You couldn't possibly stoop so low. Are you just jealous?"

Ino blinked. Okay, maybe the last part was kind of farfetched. No one would believe that they were actually dead and just walking around in an illusion.

Sakura laughed to herself. "Illusion. Yeah right Good one." And she walked away.

Feeling stupid, she sat down on a bench. Maybe this wasn't an illusion. Maybe those three years were just a dream.

"Excuse me, little girl." An elderly women said. She looked fragile and weak. "Do you mind pouring me a cup of tea?"

Ino was startled. "Of course, ma'm." She carefully poured it without making a mess.

The lady laughed. "Oh, pardon me, but that's not the right amount of sugar." She dumped it all out. "Do you mind doing it again?"

Irritated, Ino poured her another cup. This time there was too much sugar. The lady repeated this process, finding something wrong with each cup. Then Ino poured the remaining tea into the cup and handed it to her. To Ino's surprise, she drank it.

"Ah. You Yamanakas have always been patient."

'E-excuse me?" Ino asked.

"Another thing Yamanakas used to be good at…time travel."

Ino almost choked. "What are you talking about?"

The lady stared into her eyes. It seemed like she could see into her soul.

"I know." She said gravely.

"How?" Ino whispered back. The trees rustled in the background.

"Allow me to explain. In the future, you witnessed one of those worst tragedies that have ever occurred. After Naruto died, the village gave up. We were destroyed by Sasuke's forces and they soon turned to conquer the entire world, joining forces with the Akatskui and all the people they brought back to life. The world was consumed with darkness, without a trace of love."

Ino gasped. "No..that…can't be true!"

"It is." She nodded.

"Who _are _you? Ino asked. "How do I get out of here and back into my own time?"

"You can't." Her eyes flashed. "Just listen. I am a Yamanaka myself. Long ago, there were two branches of the Yamanakas. One controlled minds and excelled at techniques that involved it. The other controlled spirit. Mind and spirit together, that is the way of the Yamanaka."

"That's bull." Ino yelled. "This is insane! Where is that branch?"

"It's not. Listen to me. The branch that dealt with spirit was hunted to extinction!"

Ino's heart started pounding. This was too creepy.

"At first, nobody suspected them of a thing. Then, the truth was revealed. Those Yamanakas were special, they had the power to control time could bend it as they wished. The village saw them as a threat, because they could alter events. This power was too great, so they were murdered, much like the Uchiha clan."

Ino stared at her. "Then why didn't I know about this?"

"It was decided to be kept a secret, and anyone who spoke of it was to be charged with death. So the secret remained buried. Until now."

Ino was horrified.

"I, however, escaped, and grew up in a different land. Keeping my kekei genkai a secret. When I learned of what happened between Naruto and Sasuke, my only hope was to turn the hands of the clock back and transfer the world back 3 and a half years."

"Then why am I the only one who remembers that we went back in time?" Ino asked, a strange feeling washing over her. Was this all true?

"Because I enabled you too. Now I am giving you the responsibility. Protect Naruto and Sasuke. Keep them safe. Then maybe, the world will survive. But you only have one chance, because I cannot perform a jutsu this great again. To do this, I had to save chakra since I was a little girl."

"But why me?" Ino whispered. Nobody deserved to play the right of god. And to think there were people out there who could just change time as they pleased. She could feel herself getting angry. "Why not Sakura? Better yet, why don't you go back in time to when Sasuke's clan was killed and stop Itachi? Or to the moment when the Nine tails was sealed inside Naruto? So his parents wouldn't die?"

She scoffed. "I am not just doing this for the world. I am doing this for you. I am giving you a second chance, because I believe that if you are given the opportunity, you can achieve great things. So much potential…wasted…"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you. What do you accomplish in the future? Nothing. You don't improve your skill as a ninja. You get tossed aside and remain easily the weakest of your peers. You let Sakura overshadow you, watching as she became the sannin's pupil. What did you do? Try to copy her and become a great medical ninja as well. But you failed. You never get to know Naruto, and Sasuke, the love of your life, wouldn't give you a second glance. Your sensei was killed and you couldn't do a thing. Your father was killed and you were too far away to help."

Ino's eyes stung with tears. "So I'm a failure, then?"

She pondered the question. "Somewhat. But be grateful. I am giving you a second chance at life. This time, you get to do it beautiful."

She was gone with the wind.

Ino tightened her fists. "This time…this time I'll do it right. And I'll protect them both."

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Ino sat at her desk in the academy, her legs shaking. How was this going to work? She felt so much more nervous than the first time this actually happened. To be honest, that time she was more concerned about getting on Sasuke's team. Man, she used to be so shallow.

"Would you stop…twitching? It's making my head explode." Shikamaru snapped.

Ino rolled her eyes.

"Are you nervous?" He asked.

"No, of course not, don't be silly."

"You're clearly nervous!" Sakura flipped her hair. "And you can forget being on Sasuke-kun's team. He's mine."

Ino didn't even bat an eye. The way her and Sakura used to behave was so…childish.

"What's so great about that guy?" Naruto grumbled.

"I don't get it either." Shikamaru shrugged.

Ino looked over at him. He looked so lonely; it made her feel bad for liking him for his looks before. Did anyone ever look past the good lookin' Uchiha genius and see the hurting kid inside? And now that she knew both of their clans were treated the same way, she felt like she understood him a little better. She vowed to herself that she would try to be his friend.

"You hardly know the guy." Ino said. "Has he even talked to you before?"

Sakura bristled. "Uh..."

"If you're only attracted to him for his looks, then you don't really like him. And instead of fawning all over him, have you ever tried to become his friend and get to know her better?" Some people might call her a hypocrite, because she did the same thing. But she had learned her lesson and Sakura should too.

Naruto stared at her in amazement. "Wow, that's deep."

Hinata sat down next to Ino. "Hi Ino. Um, hi…Naruto."

"Huh? Oh, hey." Naruto turned to Sakura. "How about going on a date with me?"

She ignored him and glared at Ino. "I do love him Ino, you're just a pig and you don't understand."

"Stalking him from a distance? Yeah. That's love."

Hinata looked wounded. "So what if he doesn't like her back? Maybe he'll fall for her later…someday…and realize that she's a great girl for him…" She looked at Naruto and blushed.

Sakura folded her arms, "Yeah, that's right."

Ino was beyond annoyed. They were acting silly. At this point, nobody really loved anyone. They were just silly crushes. They were only twelve.

"Would you guys shut up? You're annoying." Sasuke muttered, his voice sharp.

The entire room was hushed.

Ino felt her face turning red. "Um, excuse me, I can defend myself."

"You were doing a pretty crappy job." He said and looked away.

"By not acting immature and insulting them back?" She asked hotly.

"By letting them walk all over you." He replied.

Ino seethed. How dare he?

Iruka addressed the class. "Alright, settle down. Here are the final teams. Listen carefully."

"Team 8: Hinata Huyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka."

Hinata looked like she was going to faint.

"Team 10: Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Sakura Haruno."

"Say what?" Sakura yelled, slamming her desk. "No way! This is so unfair! I have to be with those losers?"

"Who's going to be on Naruto's team?" Hinata mumbled.

"Yeah, who gets to be on Sasuke-kun's team?" Sakura demanded in a shrill voice.

Iruka sensei told them to quiet down. "Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Ino Yamanaka."

Pale white eyes and angry green ones turned to glare at her.

"Aw man." Naruto exclaimed. "Ino's cool, but I'd rather be with Sakura."

Sasuke didn't even comment. He looked at her and she looked away.

Exasperated, she blew her bangs. This whole 'protecting her friends' thing was going to be hard if they all hated her.

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Next chapter's coming soon :)


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